How Can Anyone Say You're Less Than Beautiful?
by GiftOfPerseverence
Summary: Some teenage girls constantly change themselves for boys. Tenten wasn't one of them until the boy she was crushing hard on made her think otherwise. She becomes severely sick, but her savior helps her realize who it is that she actually likes.


This here is a new story that has been in my head for the longest time and is ready to be written/typed down, whichever you prefer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not my own except a select few, which are not named.

* * *

Tenten isn't usually the object of attention. She also isn't the object of affection. It could be because she's too focused on her training and isn't interested in anybody, or it could be because of her boyish and unappealing attitude. Either way, she's still single.

In this case, though, she is in fact crushing on someone. He isn't a ninja and he's her age. They've hung out plenty of times and she's tried to make it obvious that she liked him, a lot. Unfortunately for her he knows but doesn't feel the same. Unfortunately for her he plans to sabotage the 'relationship' she has been working so hard to build.

Most boys her age-13-are immature and also have too much testosterone flowing through them. Tenten has gotten into a mess that will forever change her life for the worse and for the better.

* * *

"So, I guess I'll catch you later. Come by my place tomorrow after I finish training… That is, if you want to hang some more," Tenten said, blushing.

Tenten and her object of affection had dined with a few of his friends at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. Tenten has a big appetite, but she tried to hide it by limiting herself to only two bowls. One bowl would've been smarter.

"Yeah, definitely. I'll swing by if something doesn't come up."

She glanced at the ground as a small, flirty smile crossed her face. She walked out and stood at the side of the shop, listening. Tenten would always hide around a corner to hear whether or not the group of boys, especially _him_, had anything to say about her. Being a ninja, she thought she was being sneaky but they knew she was there.

It worked into their plan.

"She totally has the hots for you, man! You gonna go for it?" One asked.

"No way, dude. Did you see her? She totally stuffed her face tonight," _he_ remarked with disgust.

Tenten's embarrassed grin was instantly a frown.

"I know right! I bet she eats like that every night," another said. "Actually, I bet she'd eat a whole horse if she wanted to."

"Please, she already eats more than that in one day!" _he_ commented. "Did you see the size of her arms? Her calves? And you could tell she totally had a gut. She's not my type; I don't go for overweight chicks."

The first guy scoffed. "Come on man, she's kinda cute. Well, she could be cute."

"Yeah, if she lost all the fat in her cheeks! Any guy that says she's beautiful is crazy."

Tenten couldn't take it. She couldn't hear any more. Number one rule with girls: never talk about how much they eat or how much they weigh. She ran off. The boys heard the quick footsteps and all busted out with fits of laughter. They couldn't have planned it better.

Tears ran down her face and if possible, soaked through her skin and drowning her in sorrow. No girl wants to hear that come out of the mouth of the boy she was crushing hard on. It wasn't often that boys appealed to Tenten. In fact, this is her first crush since she was in her second year at the academy.

If the evening couldn't get any worse, it began to rain. It was cloudy all day, especially during training. It was only a matter of time. It almost seemed as if something was needed to trigger the rain to fall.

She ducked into an alley and heavily plopped on the cold, wet ground. She wasn't protected from the rain; the roofs were flat and instead, water poured off the sides and onto her head. Her buns fell from their previous position and, she shielded her eyes from the brick wall in front of her.

Sobs could be mistaken for thunder roaring overhead, roaring from the heavens that felt her sadness and embarrassment. It hurts tremendously to have your heart broken in such a humiliating manner.

Another thing about Tenten, she is determined to do whatever it takes to measure up to _his_ standards, _his_ idea of a beautiful girl.

Tenten angrily grabbed at her stomach, feeling the slight bulge. In truth, she wasn't huge at all. She wasn't fat. It was all muscle. It takes only one remark about a girl's weight to change a her mind otherwise. Once it's said, it sticks in her mind and she is forever self-conscious about her size.

Tenten angrily pulled on her arms and pinched her calves. She slapped her thighs and poked beneath her chin. A shimmer to her right caught her attention. Leaning against the dumpster was a mirror with a crack running straight down its length. She peered at it, her reflection cut in half by that very crack. Hesitantly, she pulled her cheeks out, looking at how much fat was hiding there.

She punched the mirror and shards covered the ground. It was late now. She had to be heading home. As she walked away, a person's face was reflected in those many pieces of glass. A person that resembled a grown man with very round, jet-black hair.

* * *

Breakfast was skipped that next morning and the mornings after that. Then, lunch was being cut out with excuses to teammates. Soon, dinner was cut out, and no food was being consumed by the young girl.

_He_ never stopped by, but Tenten still saw him around the village. Despite the rude things he said, she still smiled and wave. In her eyes, he and his friends have helped her feel better than ever. She just knew he was going to want her if she kept up her 'diet.'

Tenten didn't have parents. Well, she did but they were strongly against her becoming a ninja, her father especially. He was very single-minded, only looking at the world through his beliefs. He was very sexist and controlling. He tried to 'persuade' her to give up becoming a shinobi, but she always glared through the blows and bruises and stated her goal. Her mother was too never fond of ninjas. It wasn't that she hated her country and didn't want it protected, but it was the fact that her mother had died on a mission by a fellow comrade. It had left her resentful ever since. Finally, they just up and left, leaving Tenten to fend for herself. Some parents, right?

So, no one is home to watch her eating habits. She is able to skip breakfast and dinner without getting caught. She just had to convince her teammates that she was no longer interested in eating out at lunch.

* * *

Another day of training interrupted for a lunch break.

"Gai-sensei! I am so hungry," whined Lee, his stomach grumbling loudly beneath his hand.

Gai determined the position of the sun. "Well, I suppose it is about lunchtime. Neji, are you ready to eat?"

"Hn." Neji turned his head to the left before staring at the ground. Gai had quickly learned Neji's movements. He knew which motion indicated what he was feeling. The left-head turn followed by staring at the ground indicated he was indeed ready to grab a bite to eat.

Gai chuckled. "All right! And you Tenten?"

She quickly declined. "No, no. I have already prepared lunch at home."

"Nonsense," Gai's voice boomed, "come and eat with us."

Tenten shook her head. "Really, I don't want to eat out. I also don't want my meals to be paid for by someone else."

"You know that doesn't bother me!" Gai said.

"No, but it bothers me. Neji pays for his and Lee pays for his too. I know I get paid less because I'm a girl and I don't have family to lend me money, but I don't need anyone taking care of me. I'm old enough to look after myself," Tenten explained angrily.

"I-I see. I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way. Well, we'll meet up with you later," Gai said. He sounded almost hurt. Tenten dismissed it and walked in the direction of her apartment. When they were out of sight, Tenten began to run around the practice fields; constant exercise was also a part of her new routine.

About half an hour later, Neji, Lee, and Gai returned to the training grounds to see Tenten already there. They looked kind of baffled, considering she was usually the last one to finish eating.

"Tenten! Did you even go home?" Lee inquired curiously, meeting up with her.

"Don't be silly, Lee," she answered, "of course I did. You've seen the way I eat. I just didn't make a lot. I need to cut back a little."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Why are you all sweaty?"

Tenten scratched her 'plump' cheek. "I've been here about ten or fifteen minutes. I thought I'd start training while you guys were still eating."

A large thumb was thrust in her face. "That's my student! Her youthfulness is almost in full bloom. Haha!" Gai said with a hearty laugh.

"Almost indeed," she agreed under her breath.

* * *

Two months. Two months have passed and she has lost just over ten pounds. Right now, Tenten is still unhappy. She had hoped to lose more than that, but she also didn't want to lose a lot of weight quickly; it would be too obvious.

She made her own food diary, keeping track of how much she exercised and for how long. She also wrote down what she ate. Once every other day she'd eat one slice of white bread, which was a total of only seventy calories. She cut out junky beverages and put in lots amounts of water. She hides it in the air-conditioning tunnel, right behind the steel grill; under a mattress was too easy.

Her clothes were just beginning to fit her loosely around her waist and she required a new pair of pants. A smaller pair of pants.

She has almost eaten several times. Having a big appetite and succumbing to the desires of eating is not easy to ignore. So, she emptied her refrigerator and her cabinets so that there was no possible way that she could be tempted. When her stomach did grumble, she drank water until she was full. She likes to think that keeping her body hydrated was good enough. She's wrong.

* * *

Eight more months have passed. In total a year has passed since that dreadful, rainy night. Tenten has nearly fainted over a hundred times and has come near to having panic attacks brought on by starvation. When she felt sick, she took a few days off to recover. Then, she'd get right back to training vigorously.

Her cheekbones have become very visible, her face hollow. She nearly threw herself a party when she could count every one of her protruding ribs. Her spine stuck out without even having to bend over, and her shoulder blades looked sharp. Her thighs were the same width and shape as her calves. Her clavicle stuck out, her arms were tiny, and her neck was very narrow. Her skin looked almost translucent. Her hair lost its shine. In short, she looked sick.

Fortunately for her, everyone saw her everyday and therefore, didn't notice the increasing changes in her body. If anything, they figured she was growing up and losing her baby fat. The clothes she wore fit her loosely but not tightly. They didn't show off her 'petite' figure. Normally she wouldn't be ashamed to show off her body, but no one would understand the brand new Tenten, as she liked to call herself.

Losing nearly thirty pounds in a year is tremendous progress and to make sure she didn't die from her 'diet,' she now eats one slice of wheat bread twice a week. Not a huge difference but at least she's putting something in her stomach, right? Wrong. Even if she was eating one slice of bread each day, it's still a miracle that she is even able to stand or even get up in the morning. It makes her body crave more and actually causes her to gain weight, for her body is absorbing as much fat and nutrients it can from those slices of bread.

* * *

Gai-sensei came over to her apartment one day. He noticed her change in her attitude. She grew distant from her team and she had frequent mood swings. She didn't even like to be touched. A poke on the shoulder and she'd flip out. He was worried.

"Oh, Gai-sensei. Come in," Tenten greeted, opening the door wide enough to allow entry.

Gai seated himself on her couch. "Tenten, is there anything you would like to talk to me about?"

She looked confused. "What is this? Is there anything you would like me to talk about? I don't quite follow-"

"Yes you do! Don't give me that!" Gai exploded angrily. "You have been acting strangely since.. that night you were in the alley."

"W-what? How do you know about that? I thought you were out on a mission," Tenten said, horrified.

"I was on my way home to write the report when I heard crying. I saw you," Gai explained. "Tenten, please, tell me what happened that day to make you like this."

Tenten stayed quiet. She had to give him something. He already knew that she was playing dumb.

"I found out both my parents were killed," she lied.

"What?"

"I got a letter from my mom's old best friend. She told me that the day they left me, they got mugged by a rogue ninja. They resisted so, the ninja showed no mercy and- and kill them," Tenten explained, pretending to sound sad. "She didn't want to tell me until I was old enough. I was angry. I disagreed; I should've been told sooner."

"I had no idea. I'm really sorry for your loss," Gai said sympathetically. He stayed quiet for a few minutes before commenting, "You also look thinner, sometimes depression does that. I'm here for you so, how about I treat you?"

She hesitated. "Well, all right."

Eating one full meal wouldn't hurt. ASfterall, she had a toothbrush and an index finger.

* * *

A week later, a mission was assigned to the team. They were to deliver a scroll to their neighboring village Sunagakure. Sounds simple, but as always, it contains secret and very important information that other countries would die to get their hands on. Tsunade, the new hokage, assigned it to Team Gai and they were off by the next morning.

Suna wasn't that long of a journey, but nonetheless, it would require at least one night to camp. Unfortunately, that's when all the rogue ninja and those after the scroll come out to 'play.' No worries, at least three of them can fight, considering Tenten is far too sick.

As they traveled across the sandy, dry desert, Neji kept his eye on Tenten. He wasn't exactly aware of her extremely thin figure, either because he was blind or the fact that she hid it so well. Anyway, he knew something was up. Gai had told both he and Lee about the letter Tenten received, but Neji didn't think that was the problem. She wouldn't be upset, especially after the way they treated her at such a young age. Neji's still surprised that she's not even scarred by her past (she had shared it with her teammates long ago, when Lee inquired curiously about her lack of a guardian).

Lee didn't notice anything wrong with her. He just thought her youthfulness was blooming; her increase in training impressed the younger boy. Several times she'd chosen to train with him, rather than Neji. Partly because she wanted to fight against taijutsu that was most common among enemies, not gentle fist, which was only used by the Hyuuga clan.

Gai had made the comment that she looked thinner, but he didn't realize just how thin she actually was. It wasn't his job to stare at his students' bodies. It wasn't his job to make sure they ate and slept everyday. His job is only to train them and look after them on missions. Occasionally, he'll realize that something is troubling one of his three beloved students and asks them out to a meal, his treat. Believe it or not, Gai is really easy to talk to. His young personality allows him to relate and bond more easily with his students. Even Neji comes to him when something is on his mind.

Tenten fell flat on her face in the hot grains. She wasn't used to traveling far distances. The missions issued to them before weren't quite as far and most had to do with rogue ninja stealing scrolls from either their village or their neighbors.

"OH! Tenten! Are you all right?" Lee asked, helping to lift her to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. This heat is really getting to me. Ugh, there's no way I could survive in Suna," she joked, trying to make the situation seem as though it wasn't serious. "That darn sun's got me all dizzy."

Neji rolled his eyes. "That's not it and you know it. It's sunset and it's gotten a lot cooler."

"But," Gai interrupted, "the start of the journey was just as she said. Whether it is sunset or not, the previous heat and sun has had an impact on her, as well as the rest of us. We're already over half way there, let's set up camp."

"Good idea, Sensei," Lee said, instantly getting to work on pulling out his sleeping bag.

"Thank you, Gai-sensei," Tenten said, smiling a bit. Gai only nodded, he too kneeling down and pulling out his sleeping bag.

All were settled in their sleeping bags, but of course, one had to keep watch. Tenten volunteered, but Gai wasn't about to let her. Based on her condition, she needed all the rest she could get.

Gai told them he was going to do it, he was the sensei, the jounin and therefore, it was his job. Neji grumbled, knowing that he could handle the job as night watch, but Gai wouldn't have it. He said they were young and needed to have rest to be energized.

* * *

"Wake up you guys! We have visitors," Gai whispered. He shook them all awake, making sure that they were ready for a fight.

Five ninja rose from their hiding place beneath the sand. Each had a masked face and weapon in hand. It was safe to assume that they weren't aware of what the team had in their possession, but that wasn't going to stop them. It didn't matter what they had. They were only after their money, the scroll would just be a bonus.

Gai took on two of them while Lee, Neji, and Tenten had their own to take of. A punch in the stomach and a hard kick in the neck was enough to take out the two that went after Gai. Neji used his gentle fist or more specifically, his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, to knock out his opponent. Lee used his Primary Lotus and rendered his opponent unconscious. Tenten, on the other hand, was having much more difficulty.

Her opponent was able to deflect any weapon she threw at him. Apparently, she got the leader, the strongest of the five. She went after him with her staff, but his movements were to quick. He dodged and with full force, punched her in the stomach with both fists. Needless to say, she flew from him due to her lightness in weight and the force of the attack. Gai caught her in mid-air. It took less than a second to realize the proportion of her body. One hand was beneath her bust, settled on her ribs while the other was settled way back on her stomach. When they landed, Gai punched the enemy square in the face. The masked man grabbed his face and Gai followed up with a kick in the stomach. The man collapsed. No one matched Gai's brute strength.

* * *

"Thank you," Gaara said monotonously as he took the scroll from Gai.

The mission was a complete success. The scroll was delivered in perfect condition, and no enemies had gotten their hands on it. It was a pretty easy mission considering they only fought once.

The group wasn't expected back in Konoha until tomorrow so, they decided to stay the night in Suna. Gai took this chance to confront Tenten about her eating habits.

"Let's go get something to eat," Gai suggested, his voice sounding a bit too demanding.

"I'll go find a hotel," Tenten said.

"No, you'll need your strength for the journey back home."

"I'll eat in the morning. I'm not hungry right now," she told him.

"If you eat in the morning, you'll get sick and throw up. Unless of course, that's what you want..?" Gai asked rudely.

Tenten was a little taken aback. "Excuse me?"

Lee and Neji just stared. They had never heard Gai speak in such a tone before. It was apparent that he was quite upset about something, but they had yet to figure out what it was.

Gai handed the two boys some money. "You guys go on ahead. We'll catch up."

Not wanting to upset him further, they left.

Gai waited until they rounded a corner before returning his attention to his sick student. With his brow furrowed, his face was a mix between anger, confusion, and sadness. How could he have missed something so obvious? Why would Tenten even do this to herself? He always thought that she was the type of girl who didn't care about what other people though of her. He always thought she was happy with herself.

"Don't look at me like that, please." She turned her gaze to the sandy ground.

"I-I don't understand. Why did you do this?" Gai asked, choking a bit. It was sickening. He was disgusted, concerned.

Tenten looked at him straight in the eyes. His eyes widened. He took in the sight before him. He realized just how unnatural she looked. She was tall, but even so, she shouldn't be that thin at that height. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he didn't notice. It killed him. Her eyes lost its special chocolate-brown color. It was like she was the living dead.

"Heh. I wanted to look pretty," Tenten told him.

"How is anorexia going to make you pretty? You just look sick and, well, repulsive," Gai said.

"You don't understand what it's like to be a teenage girl! Always we have to worry about our looks, keeping our bodies nice and attractive for the boys we like!" Tenten frantically explained, tears falling from her eyes.

Gai raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you did this to yourself? You like a boy and you felt pressured?"

"Not exactly," she sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"Then what?"

"I thought my body was perfect. I really did. But _he _didn't think so. I heard him say to his friends that I was fat, and they didn't like how I ate a lot. He said that any guy who thought I was attractive was crazy!" Tenten burst into tears, covering her face.

"How can anyone say you're less than beautiful?"

"Huh?" She looked up.

Gai sighed. "As your teacher, I'm not supposed to notice things like the appearances of my students, but I'll be honest with you. I saw some of the other girls at the academy and wow, they weren't exactly good-looking. I didn't want to have to look at their faces during training," Gai said bluntly.

"That's kinda mean," Tenten said, laughing a bit.

"I know, but I can't help it. Anyway, I was glad that you were one of my students. You had the cutest face; it was just a little round, due to the fact that you were young, and it had definition without being to sharp. Your eyes were big and full of enthusiasm. You were by far the prettiest genin in your age group."

Tenten blushed and her mouth was open. "R-really?"

Gai nodded. "This boy you like must have his head up his ass. Tenten, any guy that causes you to change yourself in any way isn't the one for you. You need to find someone who likes you just the way you are." He gave her a small smile.

She giggled at his first comment but sighed. He was right. She examined her hands and arms. They were to narrow and she just glared at them, hating herself.

"Come on, Tenten. Let's go find Neji and Lee."

* * *

A knock on the door caused Gai to rise from his couch. It was the afternoon after they arrived back to Konoha. Gai decided to give his team a day off. He opened the door and revealed a fragile-looking girl.

"Tenten? What are you doing here? You need to talk to Tsunade about your illness," he said.

She stayed silent, pushing him into the house so that she could enter. Closing the door behind her, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She placed her lips over his.

Gai was surprised to say the least. His mouth was slightly open against the kiss, but Tenten didn't take advantage of that. He gently pulled away.

"What are you doing?" He asked, clearly confused.

"I was thinking about what you said. You wouldn't say all that just to help me. And I realized that I found someone who liked me just the way I was. And that someone is you," she explained, blushing slightly.

"But this is wrong. I can't get involved with you," he told her.

"All I ask is that you care for me. We'll worry about that later, but first, you have to help me get through this," she said, referring to her eating disorder.

Gai smiled. "As long as you strive to get better, you'll be fine. I'll go with you to see Tsunade."

Tenten grabbed his hand and led him to the door. She opened it, releasing his hand. Gai followed her out, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Well, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. I like the Tenten and Gai pairing, but there aren't enough of them out there. I thought I'd help fix that. Haha. Thanks again.


End file.
